GUGMA

Featuring Grace Nono

with Erskine Basilio, Glenn Bondoc and Ryan Ednave

PRESENTED BY:

Cultural Center of the Philippines

in cooperation with Grace Nono, Ph.D., with some sponsors, organizational partners dedicated to arts and culture, peace, environment, gender issues, and with the support of friends Alex Cruz, Noni Buencamino, Patrick Pulumbarit, Ryan Murillo and many others.

DATE/TIME/ VENUE:

April 23, 2017 (Sunday) | 5:00pm

Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)

DESCRIPTION:

GUGMA (“love” in the Visayan language) is a musical offering that features Visayan love songs popularized by various singers in the 20th century. Majority of these songs were also featured in Grace Nono’s recording Dalit: Songs of Love, Loss, and Finding Heart Again (Tao Music, 2009).

THE SONGS:

The songs featured in GUGMA are:

KALIBUTAN NAGDUMILI (Though the World Hinder) attributed to Fred Berame

Grace learned the performance of most of these songs from elderly singers not in the Visayas but in Mindanao where Visayans have migrated for centuries. Her mentors included the late Ralph “Ruping” Valle of Agusan who was originally from Bohol; Lordina “Undin” Potenciano of Agusan-a Manobo baylan who learned Visayan songs from Visayan migrants; the late Francisco Awitin of Camiguin-a Camiguingnon (Manobo) mamuhat-buhat (babaylan), and the late Prisca Abacajin of Camiguin-Grace’s mother’s 2nd cousin and Grace’s nanny. Grace also learned s few songs from recordings and performances of other singers. The instrumental arrangements for the Dalit recording and the Gugma concert were provided by Hiligaynon-Visayan composer Bob Aves. The English translations of the Visayan lyrics were provided by poet Gemino Abad who is of Cebuano-Visayan origin.

Before the GUGMA concert, Grace performed some of these songs twice: at the RCBC Museum in 2009 to launch the Dalit recording, and at the National Museum of Singapore in 2010. Between 2010 and 2017 Grace took a hiatus from active performing to finish her doctorate in ethnomusicology from New York University and to do postgraduate work at Harvard University. When she came home in 2016 she began to reconnect with musicians. Butch Roxas, guitarist and UST faculty, introduced her to Glenn Bondoc, Erskine Basilio and Ryan Ednave. They have been practicing with Grace since late 2016.